Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 20 A Journey of Struggle and Love: Infiltrating the Enemy's Den, Thoroughly Investigati

Chapter 20 Lin Fangfei's Journey of Struggle and Love: Infiltrating the Enemy's Den, Thoroughly Investigating Counterfeits, and Facing Numerous Crises at the Press Conference

I, Lin Fangfei, stood in the textile factory's simple office, gazing at the gray sky outside the window, my heart filled with both anticipation and anxiety for the future. Today, I was going with Gu Zixuan to meet an important potential investor, which could be a golden opportunity for the textile factory to turn things around. I straightened my simple yet clean cheongsam; its pale blue color mirrored my current state of mind—calm tinged with a hint of nervousness.

I looked at Gu Zixuan beside me. He was wearing a dark gray suit today, his hair was neatly combed, and his handsome face exuded determination. He smiled slightly at me, a smile that seemed to dispel all the gloom in my heart. "Fangfei, don't worry, we will definitely succeed." His voice was deep and magnetic.

I gently bit my lip and said, "Zixuan, this investor is notoriously picky, I'm still a little scared." My hand unconsciously tugged at the hem of my cheongsam.

Gu Zixuan stepped forward and took my hand; his hand was warm and strong. "What are you afraid of? We have the best design and the most promising reform plan." His eyes were full of confidence, which reassured me a lot.

We arrived at the agreed-upon teahouse, a famous business meeting place in Shanghai. Entering the private room, we found Mr. Li, the investor, already seated. He wore a black silk robe and gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness.

"Mr. Li, I've long admired your name," Gu Zixuan greeted politely with a proper smile.

Mr. Li nodded slightly, his gaze shifting between me and Gu Zixuan. "I've read your proposal. The ideas are quite novel, but how do I know you're not just talking nonsense?"

I took a deep breath, stood up, and began to explain in detail the advantages of our textile factory, from the workers' superb skills to our unique design concepts. "Mr. Li, look, these are our latest fashion samples." I took the samples out of my bag and showed them to him.

Mr. Li picked up the sample and examined it carefully, his expression unreadable. "Hmm, this design is quite unique, but in the current turbulent situation, the textile industry is not doing well."

Gu Zixuan continued, "Mr. Li, it is precisely because of the turbulent situation that we need to reform and innovate even more. We have already contacted some overseas channels, and as long as the funds are in place, our products can enter the international market."

Mr. Li put down the samples, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "The international market? Do you know that foreign countries are imposing more and more trade restrictions on us now? The risks involved are considerable."

My heart sank; this was indeed a major problem we were facing. I glanced at Gu Zixuan; his brows were also slightly furrowed.

After a moment's thought, Gu Zixuan said, "Mr. Li, risks and opportunities always go hand in hand. We have strategies to deal with this. We can start with some friendly countries and gradually open up the market. Moreover, the workers in our textile factory are all locals, with high loyalty, and we can control costs very well."

Mr. Li seemed somewhat moved by Gu Zixuan's words, and he sat up straight. "So what kind of reward do you plan to give me?"

I quickly said, "Mr. Li, we can give you 30% of the shares, and you will have priority in receiving dividends after the company makes a profit."

Mr. Li was silent for a moment, then laughed. "Thirty percent? That's a bit low."

We started haggling with Mr. Li, and the atmosphere became a little tense. My palms were sweaty, and Gu Zixuan's expression also turned serious.

Suddenly, the door to the private room was flung open, and a woman in a glamorous cheongsam walked in. Her face wore an arrogant expression, and her eyes were filled with disdain. "Oh, isn't this Young Master Gu? What, begging Mr. Li for investment here?"

Gu Zixuan's expression changed slightly when he saw the woman. "Miss Su, this is our business negotiation. Please leave."

Miss Su showed no sign of leaving. She walked up to Mr. Li and said in a sweet voice, "Mr. Li, don't be fooled by them. The Gu family's business is in deep trouble right now, and this textile factory has no future."

A surge of anger welled up inside me; this Miss Su was clearly here to cause trouble. "Miss Su, what makes you say that? Our textile factory has a very bright future."

Miss Su sneered: "What great things can a girl from a poor family like you accomplish?"

Gu Zixuan stepped forward, blocking my way. "Miss Su, Fangfei's abilities are no less than anyone else's. Don't try to slander her here."

Mr. Li looked at this scene and seemed hesitant. "Young Master Gu, what exactly is going on?"

Gu Zixuan took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Li, Miss Su was sent by our competitor to cause trouble. Although our Gu family business is facing some challenges, we are actively reforming, and the textile factory is a key project for us."

I secretly admired Gu Zixuan's composure; he always managed to stabilize the situation at crucial moments.

Miss Su, seeing that her goal had not been achieved, became furious. "Gu Zixuan, you'll regret this!" she said, and stormed off.

Mr. Li looked at us and said, “Your situation is quite complicated. However, I admire your courage and determination. I have decided to invest in your textile factory, but I want forty percent of the shares.”

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance. Although forty percent was more than we had expected, it was still a rare opportunity. "Okay, Mr. Li, it's a pleasure to cooperate."

We signed the contract with Mr. Li, and when we walked out of the teahouse, I felt like I was in a dream.

"Fangfei, we did it!" Gu Zixuan excitedly hugged me.

I laughed happily, but I knew this was just the beginning, and many challenges awaited us.

Back at the textile factory, the workers gathered around, cheering when they learned we had successfully secured investment. Looking at these simple, honest workers, I was deeply moved.

"Everyone has worked hard today, so I'll treat you all to wontons tonight," I said with a smile. Wontons are a favorite food among workers—economical and delicious.

In the evening, we set up a table in the courtyard of the textile factory, and bowls of steaming wontons were served. The workers were laughing and chatting, and the scene was very heartwarming.

However, just as we were celebrating, a worker rushed over. "Ms. Lin, something terrible has happened! A batch of our raw materials has been seized."

My heart leaped into my throat. "What happened?"

"They say it doesn't comply with regulations, but we've always used this material before," the worker said anxiously.

Gu Zixuan frowned and said, "Someone is definitely up to something behind this."

I gritted my teeth and said, "No matter who it is, we must find out the truth and not let our efforts be in vain."

Gu Zixuan and I started asking around for information, and we discovered that a competitor had colluded with government officials to give us a hard time.

"We can't just let this go," Gu Zixuan said angrily.

"But what should we do?" I looked at him helplessly.

Gu Zixuan thought for a moment and said, "I know some officials with a sense of justice. We can ask them for help."

So we started visiting those officials, but the process didn't go smoothly. Some officials were indifferent to us, while others simply refused to see us.

"Is there really no way?" I sat down in the chair, feeling more exhausted than ever before.

Gu Zixuan paced back and forth in the room, then suddenly stopped. "Fangfei, I have an idea. We can use the power of public opinion."

"The power of public opinion?" I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, we can tell the newspapers about this and let the public know what happened to us, so that those people won't dare to openly target us."

My eyes lit up; this was indeed a good idea.

We contacted a reputable newspaper and explained the whole story to them. The incident was quickly reported and attracted widespread public attention.

Those who colluded with us started to panic; they hadn't expected us to pull such a stunt.

"Hmph, let's see how long they can be so arrogant," Gu Zixuan said smugly.

However, we also know that this only temporarily alleviates the crisis, and we still need to solve the raw material problem as soon as possible.

We searched everywhere for new raw material suppliers and finally found a reliable one. However, a new problem arose: our design drawings were leaked.

"What on earth is going on?" I looked at the copied designs and trembled with anger.

Gu Zixuan's face was also very ugly. "There must be a mole in our factory."

We began investigating everyone in the factory, and everyone was filled with anxiety. I didn't want to doubt any of the workers, but for the future of the textile factory, we had to find out the truth.

During the investigation, I found that a worker named Xiao Wang, who usually seemed honest, was behaving suspiciously. He had been acting furtively lately and spending money extravagantly.

I told Gu Zixuan about this, and we decided to secretly observe Xiao Wang.

Finally, after a long period of covert observation and tracking, we were surprised to discover that Xiao Wang was secretly meeting with a cold-faced, sinister-looking stranger in a dimly lit and secluded corner. The man glanced around warily, then quickly pulled a thick wad of banknotes from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang, looking terrified, accepted the money and handed over a seemingly insignificant package he was clutching to the man.

However, to our utter astonishment, when the man opened the package, it contained the core design blueprints that we treasured so dearly! This was the result of the company's painstaking research and development, which involved a great deal of manpower, resources, and countless days and nights! In that instant, we could no longer contain our anger and astonishment, and rushed forward like tigers descending a mountain, catching the two men red-handed.

The moment Xiao Wang saw us suddenly appear, he was as if struck by lightning. His face turned deathly pale, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably. Finally, he collapsed helplessly onto the cold, hard ground.

"Xiao Wang, why did you do such a treacherous thing?" I stared wide-eyed at the subordinate I had once trusted so much, my heart filled with endless disappointment and heartache.

Faced with my questioning, Xiao Wang was already sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam. He choked out, "Miss Lin, please forgive me... I was truly forced into this situation! My family has been taken hostage by these heartless bastards. If I don't obey their orders and hand over the design drawings as they demand, my family's lives will be in danger!" At this point, Xiao Wang clutched his head in anguish, his body convulsing uncontrollably, as if he had fallen into deep despair.

I stood in the slightly dilapidated office of the textile factory, sunlight streaming through the mottled windows onto the desk piled high with documents. I, Lin Fangfei, a woman from a poor family in Jiangnan, now shouldered the future of the textile factory. I took a deep breath, silently thinking, "No matter what, I must help the textile factory carve out a path for itself in the turbulent 1930s of Shanghai during the Republic of China era." My fingers lightly traced the design drawings on the desk; those exquisite fashion sample patterns were the culmination of my hard work.